Empire | ATEEZ

011

My cheeks burned as I watched the group hurry up the stairs and disappear around a corner, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs as I tightened my grip around the handle of my suitcase a little tighter and clenched my teeth.

I was flustered by the tone Hongjoong had used, the way he had looked at me as if I was nothing but a nuisance at that moment, someone who was only in the way. And then I felt myself get angry, a fire flickering to life within me as I scoffed and glared at the spot on the first floor where he had just disappeared a moment earlier.

"How dare he?" I growled, dragging the suitcase after me as I stomped up the stairs as well, following the trail of dirt and blood on the floor before pushing through a set of doors leading into what seemed to be an infirmary.

I halted in my steps as I watched them help Yunho onto a bed, the man bloodied and bruises and covered in cuts and scratches, a dangerous-looking wound on his head bleeding onto the pillow underneath him.

"What happened?" I breathed, turning to Seonghwa as he uttered my name and immediately rushed for me, trying to push me back out the door and sounding more than out of breath as he said, "You shouldn't be seeing this-"

But I pushed past him before he got the chance to finish his sentence, closer to the bed as I repeated my question, "What happened?" almost as if in a trance.

"Those fuckers shot at us," Jongho growled, clenching his fists at his sides with a look of barely-contained anger on his face, "His motorcycle crashed."

"Who-?" I began only to trail off as I immediately realized that Nocturne had to be behind this. "Why is he here?" I demanded, feeling my heart ache with worry for the man as he groaned in pain and reached for his leg, "He should be at the hospital-"

"No," Hongjoong said, his voice laced with a tone so cold it made my blood run cold, remembering the dark night in the alleyway when I had first found Seonghwa, wounded and bleeding, refusing to go as well. They couldn't risk it, I realized, feeling myself wavering at that moment as my next words escaped my lips before I got the chance to think twice about them.

"Let me help," I breathed. "No," Hongjoong snarled again, the look in his eyes only adding fuel to the fire that was already brewing within me, feeling myself grow angrier as I turned to glare at him.

"I am going to help," I growled but the leader refused to back down, instead moving to stand protectively in front of Yunho as the group's eyes widened, a deafening silence falling over the room as the two of us stared at each other.

"He is going to die if-" I began but Hongjoong cut me off with a scoff as he asked, "What makes you think we need your help, Nari? As far as I know, you're rather expendable so for all I care, you can head home now and let us deal with this. It's all you've been talking about all week, isn't it?"

I felt my cheeks burn as I tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase, straightening as I snarled, "And as far as I know, you're all unable to help him considering how your second-in-command couldn't even save himself from a stab wound," well-aware of Seonghwa taking a step closer only to halt as I said, "He would have died if I didn't save his life that night and so will Yunho if you don't move out of the way right now, Hongjoong."

The look in his eyes darkened at that but he stayed where he was nonetheless. I glanced at Yunho, my heart skipping a beat as I remembered how bright he had always been, how welcoming, how kind his eyes were, and how they always crinkled when he smiled.

I sighed, mentally cursing myself at the decision I was about to make but I had to know. "Are you responsible for the disappearances? For anything on the news?" I asked, turning back to Hongjoong whose brows furrowed at my question.